Bartering for healthcare comments hurt Reid’s Republican challenger

[babylonsister]

Bartering for healthcare comments hurt Reid’s Republican challenger
By Sean J. Miller - 04/29/10 06:00 AM ET


Nevada Senate candidate Sue Lowden has seen her momentum slow in recent weeks as she has struggled to defend her claim that a bartering system — such as paying doctors with chickens — can lower the cost of healthcare.

Lowden remains the leading Republican vying to face Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), but her comments on healthcare have been widely ridiculed — including on late-night talk shows like “The Colbert Report” and the “Tonight Show.”

“Before we all started having healthcare, in the olden days, our grandparents, they would bring a chicken to the doctor,” Lowden said during a recent TV interview on the Nevada-based program “NewsMakers.” “I’m not backing down from that system.”

The quote has left Washington-based Republican strategists scratching their heads — bartering is not part of the GOP’s playbook for attacking the Democrats’ healthcare bill. And it might have opened the door for her primary rivals to seize the nomination.

“It absolutely creates the opportunity for other candidates to get in this race,” said Ryan Erwin, a Las Vegas-based consultant who is working with Republican Senate candidate John Chachas.

more...

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/senate-races/94991-healthcare-barter-comment-hurts-reids-gop-challenger

[tanyev]

1. Back in "the olden days" medical procedures didn't cost tens of thousands of dollars

and prescription drugs didn't eat up half a paycheck. What a dingbat.

[Selatius]

2. There was no pharmaceutical industry, no insurance, and no corporate hospitals.

Quite a lot of hospitals in those days were municipally owned or operated by religious groups, not corporations with the sole purpose of profit. Independent practitioners were more than willing to negotiate the price of a procedure and set up payment plans. What drove up the costs was monopolization in the insurance industry and the profit motive entering the operation of hospitals. The insurance industry, once it became monopolized, couldn't be bothered to negotiate aggressively with hospitals and pharmaceuticals to keep costs down because policyholders likely didn't have a satisfactory alternative. It was always the threat of policyholders having an alternative that kept insurance companies on the ball. Without that, the system breaks down.

[newfie11]

3. the cost of an education to be an MD was pennies

back then compared to today. So can you pay off student loans with chickens. BTW chicken feed ain't cheap.

[NNN0LHI]

5. All you had to do was buy and read a medical book and hang out a shingle that said physician

There weren't any medical schools or licencing system in place when people were using chickens to pay for a folk doctor.

Don

[newfie11]

6. I've know some docs that I suspected did that in todays world LOL n/t

[laughingliberal]

4. The local news here carried another story on it last night

with clips from Colbert's segment on it and the 'chicken calculator' website. It really was hilarious and it's telling as the local media up in this part of the state if pretty RW. If they're starting to turn on her, she could be down for the count.

[monmouth]

7. I'd bet Harry had a big smile when he heard her remarks...LOL....n/t

[BurtWorm]

8. Bleeding patients for every ailment would probably bring health care costs into line as well.

(I mean literally bleeding.)

[gratuitous]

9. Who knew?

Being a blithering idiot might actually cause some people to change their minds about voting for you. That has truly not happened before for Republicans. I bet ACORN's to blame for this!

[TwilightGardener]

10. Not ready for prime time.

[dccrossman]

11. Stupid is as stupid does...

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